YouTube’s 10 Most-Viewed Viral Videos of All Time

It’s been 10 years this week since the first YouTube video was uploaded–a clip that (surprisingly) didn’t feature a single pop star or talking animal. No, the first YouTube upload was a video of site co-founder Jawed Karim at the zoo. It may have been mundane, but this 18-second video revolutionized digital media in a way none of us could have expected. With over one billion users and 300 hours of video uploaded each minute, it’s fair to say YouTube has changed the world. This week, we’re celebrating all things YouTube, starting with the viral videos that defined the last decade.

To celebrate a decade of cat videos, skateboarders stacking it on film, and YouTube making ordinary people famous, we’re reminiscing about the most popular viral videos. Yes, we’re talking about “Charlie Bit My Finger,” the moment Susan Boyle owned the “Britain’s Got Talent Stage” for the first time, and that evolution of dance video you emailed to everyone in your address book back in ’06–because you probably didn’t have Facebook yet.

Keep scrolling to countdown the top 10 most viewed viral videos on YouTube–we left out the music videos (those will come later this week!) and NSFW stuff, but you can check out the full list here.